Jazz-rock fusion never really went away after the first wave of Gary Burton, John McLaughlin, Return To Forever, and Weather Report. Two recent examples in the evolution of fusion are led by drummers, one just starting out and the other an old hand. The youngster is
Justin Brown, who’s been making a name for himself in bands led by Ambrose Akinmusire, Thundercat, and Flying Lotus. His debut CD,
Nyeusi (Swahili for ‘black’), is chock-a-block with funky rhythms, synthesizer keyboards, electric pianos, and Mark Shim’s wind controller. Except for a version of the obscure Tony Williams song
Circa 45, which appeared on
Ego (a 1971 album by his Lifetime group), and
Burniss, a snippet of a bass solo by Burniss Travis, Brown wrote all of the pieces, which mostly feel like minimalist structures designed to provoke the funk, with his rapid-fire drumming at the core. The funkier the music, the better it sounds, and somewhat surprisingly, Brown’s music largely ignores developments in hip hop in favor of older R’n’B and fusion styles. That makes
Nyeusi a bit of a throwback, but Brown and company lay down grooves that are so strong, I don’t think anyone will mind.
The veteran is
Peter Erskine, an extremely versatile and well-regarded performer who was first heard on records in the early Seventies with the Stan Kenton orchestra. Perhaps best known for his stint in Weather Report from 1978 to 1982, he’s also played with a broad range of jazz stars, including Stan Getz, Michael Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, and John Abercrombie, to note just a few.
On Call is his third disc with saxophonist Bob Sheppard and keyboardist John Beasley as
the Dr. Um Band, starting with
Dr. Um and The Lost Pages (2016). Electric bassist Benjamin Shepherd came aboard for the 2017 follow-up,
Second Opinion. The studio disc of
On Call was recorded as part of an engineering master class, with an audience of about a dozen recording engineers, so of course it sounds great. The tunes are all tributes to different musicians, leading off with Erskine’s
For the Time Being, dedicated to Airto Moreira. From the start, it’s apparent that the fluent Shepherd and hard-grooving Erskine make a great combination, and their rhythmic connection will keep things interesting at all times. Saxophonist Sheppard penned a toast to Jerry Bergonzi,
Might As Well Be, which is a straight-ahead burner that elicits strong solo work by Beasley on piano and Sheppard on tenor and a pleasingly understated drum solo. The main problem I have listening to this group are the grating and predictable sounds that Beasley coaxes from his keyboard setup. He does no favors to Erskine’s
Uncle Don, dedicated to Don Grolnick, by soloing with a fairly cheesy synthesizer setting. Basic observation: the more he sticks to acoustic piano, the more I like it. The second disc was recorded while on tour in Italy. The band didn’t know that the house engineer was recording the show, so it was a pleasant surprise for them to hear how well it turned out. (Quick ecological aside: I wonder why Erskine decided to make this a two-disc set, since all of the music here could have fit on one CD.) Playing songs from their first two releases, the quartet settles into a tight groove on the bluesy opener,
Hipnotherapy by Erskine. For once, Beasley’s organ fits in just fine. The melody and execution of
Hawaii Bathing Suit make for a happy occasion, and Sheppard rises to it with a rollicking solo, goaded by Erskine’s chipper drum work. Once again, Beasley’s thin-sounding electric keyboard detracts from the overall effect. Henry Mancini’s
Dreamsville is given a down-tempo treatment, with a bit of a bossa nova feel, which fits the tune nicely. Bob Sheppard is impressive in his lengthy solo. Beasley’s
Eleven Eleven is about as funky as this crew gets, with bassist Shepherd and Erskine having some fun with the disco-oriented confection. Another Erskine composition, the straight-forward
Northern Cross, concludes the set with a soulful saxophone solo and another display of the admirable tightness that Erskine and Shepherd bring to each and every performance. The drummer’s solo on this one is testament to his chops and taste. All in all, a fun project that would sound so much better to these ears if Beasley would stick to piano.
Justin Brown:
Biophilia BREP0012; Mark Shim (wind controller) Fabian Almazan (Fender Rhodes & Wurlitzer el p, Mopho synth) Jason Lindner (Moog, Mopho, Prophet synths) Burniss Travis (b) Justin Brown (d, perc, Fender Rhodes el p);Brooklyn, NY, June 24-25, 2015 *& August 15, 2017; Jupiter’s Giant Red Spot/ Lesson 1: DANCE/ Lots For Nothin’/ Waiting (Dusk)/ Waiting For Aubade/ At Peace (Dawn)/Lesson 2: PLAY/ Entering Purgatory/ Replenish/ FYFO/ Circa 45/ Burniss/ Lindner’s in your body!; 40:35.
www.biophiliarecords.com (What you get from the label by the way is a “double-sided, 20-panel origami-inspired medium, bursting with vibrant artwork and liner notes ... made entirely out of FSC-certified, robust paper, hand-folded and printed using plant-based inks.” No CD included; instead there’s “a unique code for the listener to digitally download the music in hers/his preferred format including CD-quality, uncompressed WAV files.”)
Peter Erskine:
Fuzzy Music PEPCD025; Bob Sheppard (saxes) John Beasley (p, kybds) Benjamin Shepherd (el b) Peter Erskine (d); Disc 1 (studio), Fort Wayne, IN, June 2017. Disc 2 (live), Occhiobello, Italy, June, 2017;
Disc 1 (44:46): For The Time Being/ Might As Well Be/ If So Then/ Uncle Don/ Silver Linings/ Two Paths.
Disc 2 (34:29): Hipnotherapy/ Hawaii Bathing Suit/ Dreamsville/ Eleven Eleven/ Northern Cross.
petererskine.com
